


Will You Excuse Me?

by Podysseus394



Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017), The Worst Witch - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Some wholesome friendship fluff, hicsqueak if you squint sideways
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:28:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23745346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Podysseus394/pseuds/Podysseus394
Summary: Three days after the Spelling Bee, Hecate works up the courage to mirror Pippa. They end up interrupting their conversation a lot.
Relationships: Hardbroom/Pentangle (Worst Witch)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 42





	Will You Excuse Me?

It was three days after the Spelling Bee that Hecate decided to mirror Pippa Pentangle. She had waved Pippa off with a pinched smile and a fluttering feeling in her heart that was very uncharacteristic for the traditional witch. 

That same feeling was unavoidably present when she sat down at her dressing table, raising her hand to begin the call.

Hecate faltered, a slight tremor running through her fingers, and she sat back in her chair in frustration. She looked down at the dark dress she usually wore for teaching, and wondered if Pippa would think it dull. They had not spoken to each other properly for thirty years, what if Pippa found her boring? Panic spiked through Hecate’s chest, as she hastily stood up from her seat. She strode over to her armoire, and rifled through the neatly organised rack. Finding nothing that satisfied her, she slammed the doors shut and returned to her seat. If Pippa found her uninteresting in her usual clothes, then there was nothing she could do about it. She was hardly able to go shopping, she hadn’t left the castle in three decades.

Deciding at least to release her hair from it’s scraped-back confines, she felt some of the tension wash away as the dark curls tumbled down her back. She gave herself one last look in the mirror before calling Pippa, trying to ignore how tired she looked. Pippa answered almost immediately with a smile so bright it could illuminate a room.

“Hello Hiccup, what a lovely surprise! And don’t you look lovely!” Pippa beamed. She was clearly in her own bedroom, an observation which sent a flash of heat up Hecate’s neck.

“Good evening, Pippa. I can call back another time if you are busy?” Hecate responded far too quickly, already feeling embarrassed by her eagerness.

“Nonsense, I’m delighted to see you! How is everything at Cackle’s? How is my favourite witch?” She asked with a wink. Hecate had to grab the desk to stop herself jolting backwards.

“Cackle’s is much quieter now that you’ve left, I must admit,” Hecate sighed. “And I don’t know who you could possibly be referring to.”

“You, of course, silly!” Pippa teased, enjoying how flustered Hecate was becoming. “You know, I don’t remember the last time I saw you with your hair down, Hiccup.”

Hecate remembered. She remembered that it was one of the last days when she and Pippa had been on speaking terms, and that she had never felt so calm. 

“I do,” Hecate admitted quietly, unsure where her sudden bravery had come from. Pippa, who had not stopped smiling since she answered the call, encouraged her to tell the story.

“We were in our fifth year, three days before what would have been our broomstick waterskiing display.” Hecate’s heart dropped as she saw Pippa’s smile fade ever so slightly. “We had just come back from the showers, and we were sitting in your room. You insisted that you brush my hair, because you couldn’t possibly understand how I managed it all by myself, even though I clearly could.”

Hecate carefully watched Pippa, as the smile gradually began to return. The pink witch had leant forward on the table, and rested her chin in her hands.

“Somehow you managed to convince me to let you plait it with ribbons, but you conveniently forgot to tell me that they were bright fuchsia,” Hecate smirked, as Pippa gave a light chuckle. “I spent a whole afternoon of classes wondering why everyone was staring at me, but I didn’t realise until I took them out that night.”

Pippa sighed happily, as she held up those very same ribbons, fiddling with them as she spoke.

“Yes, I do remember that now, it feels like forever ago! But I had six ribbons, and I only have five now.” A small frown creased her features. Hecate gave a brief glance to the side.

“Will you excuse me for one moment please, Pippa?” Hecate asked in a strained voice, leaving her seat before her companion even had the chance to answer.

She didn’t notice Pippa craning her neck to see her, as she crouched by the beside table, rummaging through her top drawer. She pulled out an old, mahogany box, which she observed with reverence as she slowly drifted back to the mirror.

“What’s in the box, Hiccup?” Pippa questioned quietly, even though she was sure she already knew the answer.

Hecate clicked the box open, and delicately picked up the missing ribbon to complete the set. She regarded it like one would a precious heirloom, and in a way, it was. Pippa gasped, as a trembling hand flew up to her face.

“You kept it, after all this time?” Pippa was close to tears now, her emotions bubbling to the surface. Hecate remained stoic and silent, nodding mutely. Pippa gazed at her resolutely. 

“Will you excuse me please, Hecate?” She repeated Hecate’s earlier words back to her, but waited until she had received a sign of assent. She disappeared from the frame, and Hecate gave a shuddering sigh. 

Minutes went by, and Pippa still hadn’t returned. Hecate was growing more and more anxious, causing her to pace around her bedroom. Had Pippa been so disturbed by the fact that she had held onto her ribbon for thirty years that she couldn’t bear to look at her? Had she decided that she no longer wanted them to be friends? Hecate barely suppressed the wave of nausea that washed over her, and tried to will away the leaden feeling that had settled deep in her stomach. 

She was startled by a sharp rap at her door. Hecate glanced at the timepiece that hung faithfully around her neck; it was awfully late, so her visitor couldn’t be (or definitely shouldn’t be) one of her students. She opened the door cautiously to find Pippa on the other side, completely out of breath. She had clearly transferred all the way from Pentangle’s Academy, then run up to Hecate’s chambers at the top of the East Tower. 

Pippa launched herself at Hecate, wrapping her up in the most intense hug she had ever received. Eyes nearly bulging out of her head, her arms remained rigid at her side as she struggled to process what was happening. 

“I missed you so much, Hiccup,” Pippa said, her voice muffled by Hecate’s body. Hecate inhaled sharply, as she was struckby an unexpected emotion. 

“I missed you too, Pipsqueak,” Hecate replied hesitantly, as she slowly circled her arms around her short friend. 

They stood, hugging in the doorway, for some time before Hecate cleared her throat and pulled away. Heat seared across her face, as she invited Pippa to join her for a game of chess. That infectious smile lit up Pippa’s face, and Hecate couldn’t help but smile too. Pippa linked Hecate’s hand with her own, and stepped over the threshold. 

When questioned by Dimity Drill the next morning, Hecate would resent the accusation that any sort of laughter would be heard from her quarters. She would also strenuously deny that she was seen accompanying a witch dressed in pink to the castle boundaries just after sunrise. But she would instead hide her knowing smile behind a cup of black coffee, which was more needed than usual that day. 


End file.
